TAOISEACH Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar will both speak at the centenary commemoration of the death of Michael Collins later this summer.

The Michael Collins Commemoration Committee has invited both to speak at a commemoration event at Béal na Blá, the site of Collins’ death, on Sunday, August 21.

Chairperson Garret Kelleher said that the committee is delighted and honoured to welcome them, as well as members of the extended Collins family and many visitors to Béal na Blá in August, “for what we hope will be a commemoration that befits the occasion and pays due honour to one of Ireland’s greatest leaders”.

The 100 year anniversary is expected to draw a record crowd, and the Committee is working closely with Cork County Council, Gardaí, and the Departments of Defence, and Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, on this year’s centenary commemoration.

Taoiseach Mícheál Martin commended the dedicated work of the Committee in organising the annual commemoration down through the years. He said that 2022 is a particularly important and sensitive year for commemorations, as it marks 100 years since the onset of the Civil War.

“Throughout our country, we have hundreds of places where the decisive moments and personalities of our revolution are marked. One such place is Béal na Blá which has a resonance that will last for centuries capturing as it does the tragedy of a lost leader, the lost hopes and dreams of an individual who achieved so much in his short lifetime,” he said.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that it will be a “profound honour” to speak at the commemoration. “Michael Collins was instrumental in shaping our State. To me, he is first among equals among its founders. He strove, always, to do what was best for the future of our nation and took enormous risks for peace… It will be a profound honour to speak at the Michael Collins Commemoration in August and reflect on his legacy 100 years after his death,” he said.